1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic voting systems and, more specifically, to networked interactive online devices and methods for facilitating elections through the use of computer network systems. Examples of elections that may make use of these systems include local, state, and national elections, as well as any other voting decision, such as a corporate election of a board of directors or decisions being made by a local homeowner's association.
2. Statement of the Problem
Elections are a fundamental process by which governments decide who will govern, whether the general public will accept new legislation, whether constitutions will be amended, and other matters of high importance. Voters formerly wrote down their choices on a ballot and anonymously cast the ballot in a ballot box. The ballot was later retrieved and counted along with other cast ballots. This process embodied numerous problems. The process of counting votes to decide ballot issues was time consuming. In close elections, uncertainty over the correctness of the counts often required time-consuming recounts in close elections. A single voter could sometimes cast numerous ballots because there was no comprehensive system to check for voter eligibility.
Election procedures have substantially changed in modern times. Modern elections are performed on a large scale with the aid of computerized systems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,325 to Lohry et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,753 to Graft et al. show distributed hierarchical systems including a headquarters unit that oversees or governs the operations of multiple precinct units. In turn, the precinct units oversee or govern the operations of numerous voting booths. In both systems, data is transported between the headquarters unit and the precinct unit using a nonvolatile memory cartridge. This memory cartridge may include a CD ROM, EPROM, or other form of nonvolatile memory. Thus, communications that are transmitted by electronic signals between the precinct unit and the headquarters unit may later be confirmed after the precinct election data is delivered by hand to the headquarters. Security algorithms at headquarters verify that the nonvolatile memory module is authentic. This system prevents election tampering by the intercept of electronic signals.
A significant problem affecting democratic elections is low voter turnout. Many potential voters do not bother to register and, consequently, cannot vote. Other voters who are registered do not take the time to vote. This problem is related to the difficulty of voting because voters must often occupy several hours to travel to a precinct voting station, wait in line and vote. This problem occurs even when computerized voting systems are used.
One solution to low voter turnout is to provide easier access enabling more voters to participate in elections. This could be done using extant computer networks, e.g., the Internet, with appropriate security precautions in place. Nevertheless, use of non-dedicated or general-purpose computer networks has heretofore been impracticable because these networks are insecure. For example, a skilled programmer could assemble a computer virus that would disrupt a national election either by causing the system to crash or by transmitting false results. Trojan horse programs can be created appearing to provide some useful service, but actually executing unexpected and unwanted functions, and these programs can be distributed to reside on many hard drives. Absent authentication of ballot information, a possibility also exists that election fraud might be perpetrated by the use of software to generate ballots favoring one candidate over another.
There remains a need to provide a secure voting system that can be accessed over a network and, particularly, a general purpose or non-dedicated computer network.